Conventionally, detection of events in optical networks is isolated on a per span basis. As described herein, events include, without limitation, fiber cuts, fiber pinches, poor fiber splices, polarization transients, changes in optical power, change in Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), etc. That is, an event is anything that causes degradation (e.g., bit errors, loss of polarization tracking, etc.) or loss in an optical signal (e.g., Loss of Frame (LOF), Loss of Signal (LOS), etc.). Once a specific span is identified for an event, isolation along the span, to a specific location, is time-consuming, costly, and often requires subsequent occurrences of the event for detection. Conventional techniques also require external equipment (e.g., Optical Time Domain Reflectometers (OTDRs), etc.) and do not operate in-service (i.e., where the event is a degradation or is transient in nature). For polarization transients, conventional techniques require external monitoring equipment, using an out of service wavelength, then waiting for an additional event. In some cases, there may be significant and/or random delay between events.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have an in-service optical fault isolation systems and methods that can detect and determine the distance to associated events, based on initial occurrences.